Top Family Friendly Things To Do On a City Break in The Capital

If you are heading to the capital city for a holiday, one thing stands true. The expense. Hotel accommodation can be pricey, tourist attractions cost the earth (hello Madame Tussauds), and if you have kids, trying to keep them entertained can also put a strain on your purse strings. Now, you could spend the summer at home instead – it would be cheaper after all, but there are things you can do in London that won’t bankrupt you.

London festivals

Soak up the festival action with some of top kids events in London. Theatre and dance at the Walthamstow Garden Party; the vibrant colours and music at the Notting Hill Carnival; the best artists around at the London Music Festival… you could spend all summer long at some of these great events, without the expense of expensive tickets or wristbands. Pack your own picnic too, and you will be able to sate your appetite cheaply as well.

Things for the kids

When you have kids in tow, the last thing you want to hear are those excruciating words, “I’m bored.” Now, you could spend a fortune indulging their wants with paid attractions, but if you’re looking for free things to do, you are in luck. Watch the many and varied street entertainers at Covent Garden; check out the amazing exhibits, go hands-on with the interactive experiences, and thrill at the IMAX experience at the Science Museum; go mudlarking on the Thames and hunt for hidden treasures buried in the clay; and visit the Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood, where your children can see and play with some of the classic toys from yesteryear.

Sightseeing

London is a great place for tourists, but not everybody has the money to have a royal day out at Buckingham Palace or to take part in a costly London tour. Thankfully, you can curb the expense by downloading a London app to help you see the sights without the aid of a tourist guide, and you can enjoy some of the tourist attractions that don’t cost a penny. See the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace; walk in the footsteps of the Beatles on the zebra crossing on Abbey Road; say hello to the stone lions at Trafalgar Square, and explore the beautiful parklands and waterways at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Alternatively, you could piggyback onto a tour already in progress, but that would be a little cheeky!

History tours

Give your family an education with the great exhibits at the city’s museums. Gawp at the Egyptian mummies at the British Museum; stand in awe at the Spitfires and Harrier Fighter jets at the Imperial War Museum; let your children see what life was like for children in the 1800s at the Ragged School Museum; go back to the Jurassic era with the dinosaur sculptures at Crystal Palace Park; and get to know your dodo from your quagga (at least that’s what their website says) at the Grant Museum of Zoology.

Money? Who needs it, when you have loads of things you can do for free. We hope you found our ideas helpful, and if you have spotted any other free attractions in London, please let us know!